Oh my goodness, I forgot to actually post the other Uzbek posts!
So it’s a double-post day.
The most famous Uzbek food is Palov. Similar to pilaf, plov and other rice dishes I’ve covered from all over the world, palov is made with rice, meat, vegies and seasonings. This one is the kind you cook in a pan, without touching the bottom, so it sets a little and has layers when you serve it.
I made a fairly basic palov, with vegan sausages and carrots, coloured with a little fake saffron (I think it’s marigold – from Turkey). It was actually a little bland, I’m sad to say, and I really couldn’t get the layers thing happening.
Unlayered Palov
We ate it with a mung bean and pumpkin soup from the book, The Art of Uzbek Cuisine, which was much tastier than expected, and a basic tomato and onion salad, which is always one of my favourites.
Pumpkin and Mung Bean Soup
Tomato and Onion Salad
All in all it was a filling, comforting meal, but not the tastiest food I’ve tried. I think I might have to try the palov of an experience Uzbek cook to really get it, because so far my attempts at this style are coming nowhere near the best pilaf ever, or other versions thereof.
